#it was a pleasure to make some art for this thing which has been consuming my brain!!

[itneverendshere]

alrighty imagine rafe feeling jealous for the first time in his life and absolutely not knowing how to navigate through it, so he just takes it out on you 🤗 he's down bad so it's funny

just a lil something for y'all:

rafe cameron does not get jealous.

why would he? he has the world at his feet—wealth, status, popularity, and seemingly limitless opportunities. got everything he wants and needs in his perfect kook-life, right? there’s absolutely nothing that could make him envious of others. he’s been moving through life with a sense of entitlement, accustomed to getting what he wants when he wants it.

that earth-shattering confidence translates into his sexual life. if there was such a thing as mastering the subtle art of not giving a fuck, god, he’d get a nobel prize for that shit. 

rafe likes to indulge in the pleasures of his fantastic mortal life without the burden of attachment of commitment, just thinking about tying himself up to someone else makes him want to drive his jeep into the nearest wall. 

that’s not the life he wants. that kind of bullshit gets people depressed or killed; he’s seen enough of that kind of misery in his lifetime. 

he knows he’s got a reputation by now. it precedes him, and he revels in it. and people say he’s a bad guy? please, he’s doing the entire female community a favor. there’s no point in restricting his independence for one person. 

no feelings involved, no clinging, and no, he’s not fucking cuddling someone after he just blew his load into their back. The women he involves himself with know what they’re getting themselves into when they open their pretty legs for him.

 it’s great. 

no stupid headaches, no fights, no “why didn’t you text me back?”, complete radio silence unless they want something from him or vice versa. sure, there have been a few girls who needed a collective reminder of his rules, which he does by always cutting them off.

no one’s ever made him want to throw his philosophy out the window. can you imagine that happening? rafe cameron…feeling…something other than complete horniness for someone else? enough to make him want to commit capital murder when someone else thinks they’re entitled to touch what’s his?

no, of course not.

that’d be insane. completely impossible. rafe cameron would never get his perfect hands dirty with filth. not in this universe or lifetime. 

or so he thought. 

“you have a real problem, you know that?”

if looks could kill he’d be seven feet under. you’re shooting daggers at him through your pretty eyes, hands settling on your hips. if he wasn’t raging with misplaced anger issues, he’d tell you how fucking beautiful you look tonight.

“me?” rafe grits out as he sticks his fingers into his chest, “you want to talk about problems, sweetheart?” his words drip with venom, a thinly veiled attempt to deflect the intensity of his own emotions.

you don’t back down, though, gaze steady and unwavering as you meet his challenge, “i’m not the one who just punched the living shit out of someone else!”

rafe's lip curl into a mocking smirk. "whose fault is that?” he quips, the barb aimed squarely at your intellect.

a violent urge to strangle him takes hold of you, anger nipping at your skin, “what the hell is wrong with you?”

he doesn’t know why he did it. all he remembers was that in that moment, while watching you entertain someone else, he wanted to snap someone’s neck in half. and he’d be damned if he didn't get what he wanted. 

rafe’s head tilts, oh so slowly, to the side, pretty blue eyes burning your skin, “i’m not the one letting some sleazy bastard get their hands under my slutty dress.”

that didn’t come out right. 

it made much more sense in his head. he doesn’t want to admit it, doesn’t want to acknowledge the gnawing jealousy that threatens to consume him whole.

“slutty dress?! this is vintage versace you possessive lunatic!”

“so fucking what?” he saunters closer, seemingly calm, except that’s the one thing that he never is, “did they run out of fabric in Italy?”

you watch him, a little mesmerized by the way the moonlight accentuates his features, heart pounding. he stops in front of you.

you must’ve taken a good hit to the head if you believe rafe cameron feels anything for you besides some sort of allure to your cunt. you know better than that. you open your mouth to speak, but rafe’s quick to lift one of his hands, tapping your lip with his finger.

“this is supposed to be like— a casual thing, right?” he exhales a breath, voice barely louder than a murmur.

you tip your chin up, “what are you getting at?’”

 “no strings. so, i really shouldn't be this fucking pissed about seeing you post a picture with that asshat face, smiling, his arm around you. that stupid fucking caption.”

straightening your posture, you don’t let his sugar-coated confession get to you, remaining silent for the time being. what’s his deal? is the devil spawn...confessing?

“speaking of photos…i just looked at a really cute one of you before, can you guess which one?”

and watch that picture be the one where you're on all fours in his truck's backseat lmao😃👀

[headspacedad]

AI and the Red Delicious Apple

If you’re reading this you’re pretty much already on the anti-AI bandwagon when it comes to its promise to steal our written works and then regurgitate them in strung-together, passably readable form in order to replace us.  You’ve seen the same, very valid, arguments against letting this happen that I have and the same, also very valid, warnings.  There is no human reason a computer should be doing something humanity has done with pleasure and without prompting, for enjoyment alone, all the way back to the beginning dusty start of time - unless you want to strip the humans out of the equation and make a profit that way, which is what this is about.  I’m preaching to the choir when I say this is far and away beyond the Bad of a Bad Idea.  What I haven’t seen mentioned though is how this is going to effect the other side of the equation.  Not the creators of art -

the receivers of it.

Once upon a time, not that long ago, in the 1880s, a farmer had a rouge plant pop up in his apple orchard.  He uprooted it but the next year it was back.  He got rid of it again and, again, it came back.  Finally, he did the sensible thing and just let the plant grow.  Sure enough, it popped out apples after a time and he entered those apples in a tasting contest - because.... those were a thing back in Ye Olden Times apparently.  Anyway, wham bam thank you ma’am! They won the contest and the taste buds of the judges.  In short order the Apples, known as Stark Delicious, hit the stores and became an overwhelming favorite across the US.  They lived up to their name for sure and soon became known as Red Delicious Apples.  Farmers everywhere focused in on one type of apple and one type of apple alone as the demand for them surged.  Everyone wanted Red Delicious and so that’s what everyone planted.  Here’s the thing though.  Uniformity is king in situations like this and, instead of more Red Delicious apple trees leading to more variety, it actually led to more uniformity.  The ‘off parts’ of the apples were bred out, unattractive yellow streaks in their color, the thin skin that let them bruise easier during shipping, all the unattractive parts were left by the wayside.  Red Delicious apples soon looked as good as they tasted.  

Except - they didn’t really taste that good anymore. 

It turns out that in breeding them for uniformity and looks dropped the factors that gave them their flavor as well.  In time, every apple was a carbon copy of the apple before it and the end result was mushy flavorless thick skinned, albeit pretty, looking apples.  These days, consumers hardly touch them and farmers have started uprooting their Red Delicious in favor of Gala and the like.  Nobody liked Red Delicious anymore because there’s nothing left of what once made them delicious.

AI regurgitates what its been fed.  When its fed variety it regurgitates, to some extent, variety.  It’s intended to put the human oddities out of business, so to speak and take its place.  To turn out polished, pretty things to appeal to people’s tastes.  And, after a while, when humanity is out of the picture, it will only have other AIs to feed off of.  In time, the variety in its cannibalization will continue to narrow down as the stories become more and more alike as nothing new gets put in, as it simply tells the same ten stories, then the same five stories, than the same three over and over again.  Until its just the same words, strung together differently, with the same theme, the same character, the same half-nonsense story.  Until the inside of that story, that piece of art, that movie are all the same mealy, uninteresting mush that every other one is.  The yellow streaks and the thin skin of humanity phased out along with any hint of flavor.  The profitability will dry up as even the most spoon-fed, computer worshipers demand better.  Humanity will pick up where it left off, figuring out how to tell its own stories, paint its own art, sing its own songs and entertain its neighbors again.  Art is intrinsic to humans.  We always find our way back to it.

But the damage to the creative world in the meantime will be like a nuclear winter.  And who knows how long it will take generations raised on ‘Red Delicious’ apples to realize there are better flavors out there.

PS - nobody pushing for AI art right now cares that its not long term sustainable or that it won’t always be profitable.  It will make them money now.  The future they ruin will be someone else’s problem.  They know that.  

They’ve always known that.

[birdbrainweekly]

Rating TV shows, books, movies, and comics based off their geologic accuracy.

Thinking of rating every media I watch based off a scale of how much geology is in it and how accurate it is.

0/5= no geology mentioned and would have benefited from more geology

1/5= no geology mentioned but it wouldn't have made a difference

2/5= a geology sprinkle

3/5= geology was present! but maybe a little inaccurate

4/5= geology was present and accurate

5/5= plot revolving around geology

This series continues by the validation of a single person and so Today I will rate!

I Shall Master this Family

It has been some time since I have read the manhwa and light novel of this series, in all honesty. However, I remember two different geological incidents that I recall feeling feelings about, so I will talk about those today. Being completely transparent, reading this story was what really made me think of the idea of doing writing guides for writers on my main blog, because I wanted more media I consumed to be this good.

But first ratings before spoilers 4/5! Geology was present, and it was accurate!

Now for spoilers, there are two particular incidents that involved geology, the first was a talking about mines, specifically about iron mines and their significance in power struggles! Yes, YES. While the main character herself does not deal exclusively with the mines, there was this overarching idea that lingered that geology can drive economy and politics! It was minor, but I genuinely feel like talking about resources like iron and stone and other crafting materials gets incredibly overlooked in fantasy works by things like diamonds and gemstones.

Second, there was a landslide! and how was the landslide caused? DEFORESTATION AND EXCESSIVE RAINFALL. Exactly how landslides happen in most causes. This made me positively giddy, they even called in a geologist for examine everything, and that's another thing that made me super excited. A lot of times in tv shows and other media they will use the blanket statement "scientist" which really is too generic of a statement for it to really mean anything or even worse they will call upon the wrong scientist to do the job (mostly documentaries do this). This story does a really good job in doing research to understand what they are talking about, and it showed and allowed me to have a really good experience reading this 5/5.

Other general notes on why I really loved this manhwa that are unrelated to geology. The Art, beautiful and amazing, but specifically the dresses, Italian renaissance theme through and through. Again, the research was impeccable and while they did make artistic choices (like loose hair and stuff), but you could see that it was an artistic choice and not ignorance. And lastly, the dad wasn't an asshole.

(But also historical romance manhwa, regardless of how repetitive the plot might be are my guilty pleasure!)

[toast-tales]

A human-dealing giant comes face-to-face with the consequences of his actions, in the form of a tiny human girl who isn’t afraid to stand up to his bullshit.

Danny is a human who fell into the world of giants, in a rural giant town called Red Tree. In this world, humans are only four inches tall and treated like drugs—illegally consumed for pleasure and released afterwards. She was lucky enough to befriend a giant named Nathan, who has been able to hide her away and keep her safe—up until now.

Christopher Penn is a notorious human “dealer,” who sells humans he finds to hungry giants. When he kidnaps Danny and finds out her connection to the giant he knew from years ago, he makes a terrible decision that he doesn’t know how to rectify.

That is, until this human girl turns his life upside down.

In a strange twist of fate, Christopher finds himself having to look after Danny. Somewhere between the bitter insults she throws his way and the smug, insufferable facade he wears, the most unlikely and tumultuous alliance begins to form—but trust and friendship are not so easily won, and redemption is a hard thing to earn.

Join the Discord | Read on A03

Fanart | Character Physical Descriptions

#itwom chapters #itwom #itwom fanart #itwom art #itwom audio #oc christopher #oc danny #oc nathan (and the rest)

[1] A Rude Awakening Danny meets the human dealer Christopher for the first time.

[2] Slipping Danny spends the night inside of Christopher, and Christopher devises a plan.

[3] Play by the Rules Nathan retrieves Danny from Christopher.

[4] Dance with Death Danny returns, and she's having none of Christopher's twisted games.

[5] Too Little, Too Late Christopher has regrets.

[6] Black Market Danny finds herself in the hands of an unfamiliar dealer.

[7] Unpaid Debts Christopher goes to rescue Danny from the Black Dragon.

[8] On One Condition Christopher proposes a solution for keeping Danny safe.

[9] Redirection Danny agrees on a strange means to an end...reluctantly.

[10] Domestic Life Danny and Christopher share their first morning together.

[11] Intruder Christopher finds a familiar face lurking around the house that night, and decides to take care of it.

[12] Let Sleeping Giants Lie Another morning, another round of "exposure therapy."

[13] On the Inside Christopher gets a visit from an old client, Sam.

[14] Open WoundsChristopher and Danny have a heart to heart.

[15] Commitment Nathan comes over for another visit.

[16] Meet and Greet Sam meets the gang, and they start to devise a rescue plan.

[17] Hard to Swallow Nathan practices his part of the plan - eating Danny.

[18] Protector of Humans Everyone goes to meet the leader of the Human Rights Association, Sybil.

[19] Enlightenment Sybil gives everyone a much-needed crash course in humans and their relationship to giants.

[20] No Question Christopher and Danny share a moment the night before the rescue mission.

[21] Performance Christopher isn't eager for the first part of the mission: letting Danny go.

[22] Time Crunch Danny does her part in freeing the humans, though she finds an unexpected face in the process.

[23] The Safest Place to Be Christopher does his part on the outside as he intercepts the humans, and has to make some decisions.

[24] Stomach Pains The plan goes awry.

[25] Taste of Freedom After the ride back to the human city, Christopher is faced with a choice.

[26] Tongue Tied Before parting, everyone has something to say to each other.

[27] Sympathizer Danny gets her first glimpse of the human city and meets Sybil's husband John, though not everyone seems to be welcoming her warmly.

[28] Skeletons in the Closet Nathan asks Christopher some questions about his past.

[29] Independence Danny runs into the leader of the Human Independence Coalition, Nora.

[30] Things Left Unsaid The first weekend after coming to the human city, Danny reunites with a familiar friend.

[31] Reconciliation The morning after, Christopher raises some concerns, which are promptly addressed.

[32] Familiar Territory Christopher's first day on the job.

[33] Open Up Danny senses something wrong with Christopher.

[34] A Simple Request A few months later, when Christopher watches the house alone for the weekend, Danny decides to ask something of him.

[35] A Simple Request (2) A chemist gets a favor asked of her.

[36] Cutthroat A ghost from Christopher's past comes back to haunt him.

[37] Turning the Tables Christopher wakes up.

[38] Despite it All Christopher gets a chance to talk to everyone, including the one who despises him.

[39] Old Friend Christopher raises more concerns with Danny, and Nathan returns.

[40] New Beginnings (Epilogue) Christopher finds himself uncomfortable at the HRA's celebration, but finds that there are other little things to appreciate that day.

Rest Within Me A one-off story (1.6k words) involving some 2nd POV (gender neutral reader) romantic vore fluff with Christopher. Just for fun. You can't sleep, and you know there's only one place you can go.

More than Enough A one-off story (2.8k words) with more 2nd POV (gender neutral reader) vore fluff with Christopher. Good old-fashioned nonsexual intimacy, ambiguous for whether that's romantic or platonic this time.

Little One Another one-off story (2.5k words) with 2nd POV (gender neutral reader) safe, willing vore fluff with Sybil. You're a curious human who wants to know what it's like to be...well, you know.

Just a Minute A short little fluff piece with Sam (2nd POV, gender neutral reader). You test the giant's "self-control" by playing a little game with them before they eat you. They end up getting more embarrassed than you, funnily enough.

Christopher's First Time A look into the life of 15-year-old Christopher's first encounter with a human, Joey. About 4k words.

Snippets: The Supermarket

[wordsinhaled]

Also. I gotta say. In my opinion, if you are born (even in the most eldritch sense of the word) and love and desire and cause problems because you had an emotion too hard, you count as a person. And I have Feelings, as someone in a "helping profession," about how utterly subsumed the Endless are in their duties. Like, sheesh, maybe it's what they were born to do, but what about hobbies? Work-life balance? Maybe they DO need a good lawyer.

yessss, hello fellow helping professional! high five! o/ we need a “helping professionals in sandman fandom” network, clearly! paging @dancinbutterfly for the vibes :D

i mean, if any of the endless have got it figured out it’s death. she knows how to be in the moment, live in the world, and experience things beyond her duty - even if it is tied to coping with the reality of doing her duty. she has the most Been to Therapy unconditional positive regard energy about her and it’s lovely.

and, like, how much of that comes from the overwhelm of perpetually holding space for the super existential experience of mortality? from the crushing realization of the transience of all beings? from being parentified because of how time and night totally fumbled their parenting? it would be an absolute mindfuck if she didn’t take her shoes off once in a while and touch grass, meet some people, understand what it’s all for.

death finds space for her emotionality and makes meaning of it within her purpose, which is ultimately to bear witness to the emotionality of others while allowing it to be in harmony with her own empathy.

*cough* death’s basically already a therapist in spirit, i’m just saying.

and yeah, dream is the opposite example—so consumed by his work and using his perception of his “purpose” and the laws of the universe as shields. because to allow himself to exist outside of that purpose means to admit vulnerability to extremes of emotion which are scary and uncomfortable. but dream’s purpose by definition, as it were, to steward the dreaming and guide all dreamers, isn’t necessarily a directive for him to be unemotional—this is something he imposes on himself to avoid big hurty feelings like rejection, heartbreak, loss.

he must understand emotions to fulfill his purpose, he feels them and knows them in the dreams of mortals, but keeps himself one step removed because Big Emotions are scary!!! and so he approaches them with this massive amount of squeamishness because how can he Be In The World and not become overwhelmed?

but the good emotions are so tempting! experiencing passion, love, being wanted; and then on a basic level, feeling acceptance, finding belongingness. things he has not had consistently in his hierarchy of needs. they feel good! there’s this part of him that surely thinks, could this not be for me, too? and stifles it with, no, my self-denial is a fitting punishment for the selfish nature i’ve been taught i possess. and he is so starved of these positive emotional experiences that when he allows himself to feel them he feels them with world-breaking intensity.

but is it selfish to want to feel? is it really? who taught you that? why do you not deserve the same care you show the dreaming? what does it mean about your entire self-concept if people actually care about you? if it isn’t true you’re alone in the world? how do you grapple with that? with the total upending of the entire worldview that keeps you safe from pain?

a mindfuck.

he needs a lawyer. he needs a therapy session (or a thousand of them). he needs to hang out with his sister more. he needs lots of hugs from hob. and he needs to feed the pigeons in the park, and watch shakespeare performances, and go down the pub with his very mortal immortal friend, and go to open mics, and look at street art, and live in the world, and be happy, and do more things “it g[ives] him pleasure so to do”

(also yes, this journey is What It Looks Like and i’ll just say i’d seriously consider crisis planning if he were a client)

[marabarl-and-marlbara]

Hi Mara,

Do you have any advice for those struggling with desire (or lack thereof, rather), getting things done and enjoying it?

I’ve been in a bit of a rut, I was persuaded that the issue was with brain chemicals, as usual, and that I’ve been indulging in way too many ‘cheap pleasures’ that I had to cut out of my life in order to actually be able to live and enjoy life. It didn’t work, and now I find it harder than ever to do things which, I think, used to give me pleasure: playing video games, watching anime, reading, net surfing. It feels as though the only things I find more or less easy to start and continue doing are obligations forced on me from the outside, by people or otherwise, and to get out of work, buying groceries, eating, empty pleasantries, conforming—means certain death, and so I have no other choice.

I wonder if there’s a way to live without having to have a guillotine blade always hanging above my head, swish-swoosh.

Love your art and writing. Hope you have a good day today. Peace!

my notes from church this morning;

well anonymous, i think you are the second person in the past several months to ask me this specific thing and mostly i:m bewildered here as: "nothing in life gives me much joy" has been my stated 'thing to whine about' as a general theme--and if i can:t help myself, surely i can:t help you or another, either;

though that:s not necessarily true, and i think mostly how you view your issue shapes the root of your pains; if you view it as something dearly in need of fixing: my sincere advice is to start shedding all the dumb pride you have surrounding your problem (half saying this vaguely, but also half sincerely gesturing at how you frame yourself as 'having a guillotine' weighed against you like the worst thing in life is to have obligations and conformity) and bite the therapeutic bullet and be open to treating your little psychiatric demon--may-be you have ADHD and starting medication could bleed some passion back in-to you: surely they'd know better than you or i.

how i deal with it, or how i have dealt with it, is mostly to just recognize this 'lacking' as part of my person and material, and the consequence of becoming a penance for me to live with; in recognizing the issue as a penance with which i venerate these pocks inside me and the relationship with the goodly material i find some purpose, and some purpose in-turn makes the "lack of joy" feel less consuming and whole: as there is goodly material around the pocks, sure enough; and sure enough: though i whine about art being uninteresting, and writing being boring, and tricking myself with exercise/work/chores as an excuse to listen to audiobooks and anime: i still find some precious slants of joy slipping through blinds i had thought shut; food has gone mostly tasteless but sometimes i:m surprised; games have gone dull but i love watching grubby wc3 videos and catching a warm little spark of child-me's fascination with blizzard games; obligations of work and chores can feel like my body is slowly being ground away in monotony, but gosh do i love listening to stephen king audiobooks (i:m on The Dead Zone right now, finished Mr Mercedes two nights ago); and sometimes the sun even rises: i:ve been excited to read in quiet hours again, and i:ve been forcing myself to write a few paragraphs for my isekai-fiction in the mornings.

if little whispers from the heart, in turn whispered to it by these little nibbling voices everywhere, make it such that you think the icon with which you are sculpting is infested and ruined, and that your tools in turn you hold are both infested and ruined, then the whole world itself will become ruinous and infested--but never is it that way completely, unfortunately, and its both of our burdens to bear always having hope.

the guillotine is imaginary, anonymous, even if death is guaranteed eventually. take care!

[gatheringfiki]

GatheringFiKi Interest Survey 2023 - Results

Hi folks,

First of all, huge thank you to those who took the time to fill in our recent survey. We have now reviewed the results and have a couple of points we’d like to share.

1) The Headcount:

The first, biggest and most welcome surprise from the Survey is that there are so MANY of you! And most of you are new faces, which I think is just wonderful! Welcome, welcome, one and all!

The total of 23 people took part in the Survey (admittedly some of whom I have never seen take part in any events, but I have high hopes).

When I was leaving for my travels in September 2022, a similar Interest Survey presented a bleak picture, very different to today, with a number of people having clearly moved on (though not all!). Personally, I think it was the right call to accept and acknowledge that, re-subscribe those truly interested today, and re-focus my efforts and events targetting where it's actually wanted.

Please remember that if you ARE interested in taking part in our events, you can always ask to have personal notifications delivered to you whenever one is running - just message @linane-art

Of course, I am fully aware and very grateful that, apart from the folks taking part, there are also quite a few of you who consume the new content, read, watch, like, comment, reblog or just silently marvel and enjoy their (guilty?) pleasure. I love and appreciate you all.

2) Your Favourite Existing Events:

12 Days of Christmas - 18 votes

FiKi Week - 14 votes

Trick or Treat - 12 votes

Drabble Challenges - 11 votes

Durin's Day Gift Exchange - 11 votes

Kink Bingo - 9 votes

H/C Bingo - 8 votes

AUpocalypse - 7 votes

Fandom Raffle Exchange - 5 votes

Show Some Love - 5 votes

Fic of a Fic - 4 votes

Fanfic Rec Bingo - 2 votes

Secret Admirers - 1 vote

Round Robins - 0 votes

No surprises near the top: 12 Days has just ran and is beloved by everyone and FiKi Week is like THE Gatheringfiki event.

Trick or Treat also ran recently, but I think you also have a particular penchant for everything spooky/autumny.

Drabble Challenges are quick and easy, and I think a natural choice for a 'top up' event next to the big ones. I wonder if those of you who haven't experienced the speed and the 'write off all your other weekend plans'-ness of this event will think of it. :D

DDGE surprises a little, because it's a big commitment of an event, but I guess maybe because we're not running the Raffle regularly any more, and it's a similar enough thing? Or like a Big Bang? And there's nothing else that promotes actual collaborations. Intriguing.

The Bingos - always heat up the temperature in the room. I think those of you who want them, want them like burning. I also think (looking at hit counts), that there are also many more of you who, ah, enjoy the fruits of our labours, but like... anonymously and silently :D So long as those are not ran too often, I think they're a blast, and it's been 2 years.

AUpocalypse juuuust about makes it, but I think it has a special place, as it's the one event where artists can participate easily and have a fully free reign of what they create.

Please remember that if you are an artist and you're not sure how you can take part, we have this here handy guide for you.

Raffle is probably too big for the headcount we have, rec-type-events have not been popular for a few years now, Secret Admirers still out of favour (why???) and nobody liked Round Robins - fair enough.

3) Other Comments we got / possible New Events:

'A Dead Dove Event' - what is it, I've never comes accross it? Please message me on priv ;)

'Bring-A-Friend Event' - The incest thing will make some people uncomfortable, and those that check us out 'as a courtesy' are unlikely to actually get hooked. I think, by all means, spread the word if you know folks who might enjoy our fandom, but mostly it needs to be discovered on your own. Awareness of GF is the key.

'FiKi Bingo' - We already run 2 bingo-type events and a FiKi Week. I think that ticks both the desired format and desired content boxes.

'Valentine's Day Event' - there is nothing like that per se, but it is no coincidence that the Kink and H/C Bingos usually run around the time when everyone is feeling loved-up ;)

'I don't feel comfortable sharing my own content' - that is perfectly okay and your own choice. Nobody is going to try and push you. But I will say that if you have a supportive fandom, feedback can do wonders for your self-esteem and practice makes perfect. Otherwise, thank you just as much for your silent support.

'Discord Server' - I thought about it, but I think it'll be more of a problem than help. I don't know how to set it up, don't have the capacity to moderate it, only some people would be interested and many people will resist change. We've always said that Tumblr is our native platform and on Tumblr we will remain - don't want to dilute the fandom accorss multiple platforms, sorry.

'October Advent Calendar' - I'm sorry, I don't quite see how it would be different/better than Trick or Treat, except longer? Plus, 12 Days, which runs right after, has that element of 'something new to discover' every day ;)

'FiKi Mad Libs and Frankenstory' - see: Round Robins Event. And it scored 0 points, the poor thing :(

'Visual / phrase / poem / porny inspiration' - visual is addressed by 12 Days. Phrase/poem will be addressed by FiKi Week ;) Porny will be blocked by Tumblr :(

'Reblog-focussed Events' - Yes, agreed, but in the competition for calendar availability, all our rec-type events consistently lose out to out content-creating events. So we resort to caveating all our summary posts with pleas for reblogging and commenting. :/

I also wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone for the wonderful and humbling words of encouragement I’ve received. I do what I do because of the people in this fandom and I will continue doing so for as long as there is interest in it. It’s what being in a fandom means to me, and hopefully it inspires some of you too :)

A Calendar of Events for 2024 will follow in a separate post.

Wishing you all a cracking New Year, filled with inspiration, joy, passion and feels, hopefully all whipped up by those problematic 2 little a$$holes...

~gatheringfiki

[anhed-nia]

RETURN OF THE LIVING BLOGTOBER (2023)

I'm back everybody! Life has been a Whole Thing of late, in a good way, but also a way that feels like it ripped my entire being apart and reassembled me and I'm not sure if I'm even the same person anymore. But it's fine! You're not supposed to always be the same person, for the most part. Unfortunately I can't even brag about everything I've been up to because most of it has not been announced yet, so you'll kind of just have to take my word for it.

I've been doing Blogtober here for...actually I don't really know how long, because Tumblr's search is more busted than ever before, but I THINK I've been at it since 2015. This blog originally started as a repository for longform writing about whatever the hell is wrong with me, which I started to feel was unfair to inflict on the followers I had on main. Then I started doing some film writing here, kind of on a lark, and it became so consuming that I moved all my neurotic navel-gazing back to the other place because it felt so wrong to cross the streams or whatever. Blogtober began pretty casually with just a date, title, an image or two, and a few glib remarks, but pretty soon I wasn't able to keep doing it half-way, and every movie turned into a research project that resulted in a page or two (or more, in some cases) of this dense, turgid analysis that is probably not always a pleasure to read. But, this was a legitimate compulsion, a personal obligation that had nothing to do with likes or follows anything. There was no end game, it was just something I had to do.

Recently on The Last Drive-In they showed Phil Tippett's astounding 30 year art project MAD GOD, which he made for about $150,000 with no way of knowing what kind of future it had (it made more than twice its budget back, not that that's the most important thing about it). During the compelling interview with Tippett I tweeted something to the tune of, like, what singular thing can you think of doing with 30 years and all your spare change, just to do it, if you had no way of knowing what would come of it? And the EOC of Fangoria*** quote-tweeted me with a comment like "Some of us know, because some of us have done it," and then all these professional horror guys chimed in to brag about their various heroic labors of love, and I found this very annoying for two reasons: First, because I posed the question as kind of a sympathetic gesture toward people who might not have had an immediate answer, and who might have found it meaningfully provocative. I didn't mean to create an opportunity for a bunch of self-actualized snobs to just dunk on people who are less sure of themselves (or who have fewer resources, let's face it!). And the second thing that bothered me about it was, I suddenly realized I actually DO do my obsessions. The only reason the Fangoria guy follows me on Twitter is that I'm a branch director for The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies, which takes a lot of work and care and makes practically no money, and one of the main reasons I earned that role is just my own self-directed exploration of the horror genre that I've been conducting for years and years, basically for love alone. Like nobody read my blog and offered me a book deal or anything like that--really nobody reads this blog PERIOD!--but the fact that I do this with passion, "like no one's watching" as they say, set me up with the thoughtfulness and discipline to be able to do other things when the time came.

So the things have been: For the past five years I've been working on a screenplay with someone you have definitely heard of, and there are actors you have definitely heard of who are bought in, and there are producers attached who have made things you've definitely heard of. And I mean who knows what will happen, without even considering the strikes and everything, entire movies have been shot and shelved without ever seeing daylight, anything is possible. But still, I did that, I continue to do it, and I am a better writer for it, and just a more knowledgeable and experienced person. I mean because I did that, I was ready for the opportunity I got to write the novelization of the movie SPLICE (this is like the one thing that's public already, that I can name), which sounds silly but it was an incredible, and incredibly personal experience for me, and I don't think filmmaker Vincenzo Natali would mind if I said how extremely kind and encouraging and, apparently, genuinely impressed he was. So that was huge, I'm excited for that to come out. And then because of my work for Miskatonic, and because of a certain self-directed, obsessive research project I spent the past few years on for no reason other than that I'm insane, I got the chance to record a commentary track for a new blu ray of [REDACTED, can't wait for this thing to get announced], which completely blew my mind. Then at the same time, because my work with Miskatonic got me the opportunity to introduce a certain movie at a certain major art institution last summer, I got commissioned to write THREE (3) booklets for upcoming blu rays of fascinating movies by someone I truly love, from a best-in-class company. It's been really funny in a way because when I was doing my kinda accidental art history degree, I was so depressed and immature and generally fucked up that it was a miracle they graduated me; my writing was "fun" maybe but not disciplined at all, the nicest person on my thesis board called my paper "a grand failure" and one of my advisors wouldn't even look at me once the entire time. That particular guy would be so, so mad if he read any of what I just turned in, which is, like, of actual quality. It turns out I can do what I was supposed to be doing in college, I was just too damaged and worthless at the time so sort it out. And I guess this is just how long it took me to figure out what I actually wanted to do with my time on earth. It took about 40 years.

EDIT: Fuck and then I ALSO was invited to be on a jury at the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival and I saw some amazing stuff and met some great people and I still can't believe it happened! That was so cool. I beg you all to watch RED ROOMS and VINCENT MUST DIE as soon as you possibly can, holy fucking shitballs.

But anyway I'm pretty sure those are all the things I can talk about for now, in my deliberately vague way. But that's what I've been up to when I would normally be doing Blogtober! I DID watch a Blogtober-appropriate movie every day though, and I WILL write them all up. The entries might be a little more brief than usual, and it sucks that I wasn't able to make it a daily ritual that ramps up to Halloween, but I didn't give up. Life is all about change and you never know what will happen to you, but Blogtober is forever.

***I actually really like the EOC of Fangoria specifically because he wrote this editorial about how he is constantly besieged by people who think Fango owes them a career just because they subtweet the brand and they're huge nerds and they're chronically online and own a ton of VHS tapes and shit. And I'm 100% sure this constant annoyance is why he's so bitchy. But the meat of the editorial was about how if you want a job like whatever you imagine Fangoria is supposed to give you, then you should be doing what you'd be doing there anyway. You should be writing anyway. You should be doing research anyway. You could ask your favorite B movie guys for interviews. You could start a website, or put out a zine. Try harder. Challenge yourself. Grow. You don't need anyone's permission to pursue your passion, and if you feel like you do, you might have to face the fact that it's not really your passion. The truth is that if you ever want to be acknowledged or god forbid paid for a talent like writing (or any kind of art), it's only going to happen if you're already doing it, all the time, with or without other people's money and praise. And ahem you should remain aware that even really talented people rarely subsist on talent alone--but still. In the words of Maya Angelou, who neither you nor I ever expected to have a cameo on my sleazy horror blog: Ain't nothing to it but to do it.

[whataweirdfeeling]

HELLO welcome to WAWF WEDNESDAY your monthly WAWF update [1st *sometimes 2nd* Wednesday of each month]

Considering it is now the month of June [and WAWF has been doing some monumental new traveling] WAWF took some time to make sure we came back strong with some extra special Pride month themed covers unseen WAWF travel moments and even more exciting things

Read below to find out what else WAWF is up to this month

WAWF NEWS: Pride Month

*All Individual Flags + More On WAWF Instagram* [Left to Right]

Flag 1: LGTBQ+ Pride

Flag 2: Gay Pride

Flag 3: Lesbian Pride

Flag 4: Bisexual Pride

Flag 5: Pansexual Pride

Flag 6: Transgender Pride

What We’re Cranking

Recent: Praise A Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds) [Album] - Yves Tumor

Honorable Mentions: The Age of Pleasure [Album] - Janelle Monáe, Gloria [Album] - Sam Smith, My Soft Machine [Album] - Arlo Parks, Proof of Life [Album] - Joy Oladokun, You Know What I Need [EP] - Troye Sivan, 3 Boys [Single] - Omar Apollo

Lowkey: AFTER DINNER WE TALK DREAMS [Album] - MICHELLE

Honorable Mentions: So Much Wine [EP] - Phoebe Bridgers, God, I Hate This Place [EP] - Annie DiRusso, I Promise [Single] - The Knocks, Fade [Single] - J. Worra

Still in Rotation: Gemini Rights [Album] - Steve Lacy

Honorable Mentions: channel ORANGE [Album] - Frank Ocean, IGOR - Tyler, The Creator, You Can’t Kill Me [Album] - 070 Shake, Watch This Liquid Pour Itself [Album] - Okay Kaya, Soft Sounds from Another Planet [Album] - Japanese Breakfast, We Fell in Love in October [Single] - girl in red, Brazil [Single] - Declan McKenna

Throwback: A Night at the Opera [Album] - Queen

Honorable Mentions: Cheap Thrills [Album] - Janis Joplin, Caribou [Album] - Elton John, Aladdin Sane [Album] - David Bowie, Me and My Gin [Album] - Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey [Album] - Ma Rainey

WAWF’S Wearing

*Please enjoy a bit of the unique styles and fashion caught in these unseen film outtakes from WAWF’s monumental 1st trip overseas to Madrid, Spain*

Catch WAWF in Spain with our own unique clothes in action on our Instagram @whataweirdfeeling or our curator’s Instagram @vyngak

*Send your best fit pic to @whataweirdfeeling on Instagram for your own possible feature in the WAWF’s Wearing section next month*

WAWF Magazine pushes art fashion culture and much more Stay tuned for all of the exciting things we have planned for 2023

Words/Curated by @vyngak

[littlesoyya]

I hardly ever post anything here (or even be around anymore), but this feels like the safest platform to share what I want to at the moment, there's not a lot of mutuals of mine in here so I guess it's because of that.

So I noticed today something about myself, it's something I've known for a long while but now was kinda the first time I was ready to accept that I'm feeling the way I am and I want to work on it.

For the longest of times I've felt jealousy of sorts towards the people who are able to make art that they want, especially writing heavy, not so acceptable stuff. It's not that I'm not excited, happy and proud of them, I just want to be able to do the same. Writing has been always something I've used to cope with life around me and sometimes I've wanted to write something terrible. But I can't.

When I start to write down what's on my mind, I kind of freeze - "I can't say that" or "No this is wrong, I can't write about it", "It's too heavy" even. And I self censor until I'm unhappy but satisfied with the results. I automatically make my silly little writing into something that's easy for others to consume, even if it's something just for me.

But yesterday, when I was writing I noticed that something is different. I mean yeah, I'm having COVID at the moment and my head feels like it's in a fog all the time. That's not it. I've been working on this story, that's been a guilty pleasure of mine since I was a little kid and I started daydreaming every occasion I can. The thing is, this is something that's never supposed to see the daylight. It's entirely for me to release some steam and have fun.

So yesterday, I told my friend that I feel like my writing is horrible, because of the way I feel while being sick. He was like he usually is and said that he doesn't believe me and if I wanted to prove him wrong I would need to show him what I've been writing. Which in itself is something I've had to learn to accept as he's one of the very first friends to say that in every occasion I try to berate myself, and he genuinely is just interested in what I do.

And there I was, contemplating my options; 1) Do I really want him to see this text? 2) Am I able to show it to him? 3) What if?

It felt super scary to take the screenshot and press copy while I fought with myself wether or not I have the courage to show him. Not to blame anyone or anything like that, I've just grown up in an environment where other people were not interested of the things I found important, or they mostly disappointed me with their reactions - like first they ask and then they go and say that it's too long, or boring or that I didn't need to go in such details, or something like that. Bad experiences.

And well, I thought f**k it, and sent the screenshot to him. Not waiting for his reply but got up and went to get myself something to drink and eat. And when I came back there wasn't anything horrible waiting for me. He was being encouraging and thankful as he always is when I show him what I've made. Do I know if he genuinely thinks that way? No. Do I know if he lies that I would feel better? No. Does it really matter? No.

What matters is that he sees that I'm enjoying myself. He sees that this is a thing that's really important to me. He knows how afraid I am to show my art/writing/interests to him. And he genuinely wants to support me. He's never said that this is too heavy, or that I'm to much. What he do say is that "wow, that was dark, but it's okay, it's good". And he tells me what he liked about it. This friendship has been helping me so much to grow lately!

And the thing I want to change is that self censorship, that I let have the control over myself. The amount of negative encounters with people yesterday, is now a thing that prevents me to get positive encounters tomorrow. It's still possible that there will be people who don't like my work, but there's also people who will like it, and who will never be able to read my stories because I don't share them. And even if I share my stories just for myself, I don't want it to be shadowed with fear.

So I want to work on myself, to stop the censorship and write more openly the first draft. I can always edit it, if it later feels wrong, but the first draft that is entirely for myself to see, why can't I just have some fun and let out everything that comes to mind, without first thinking how would others feel.

Phew, this was longer that I expected. Thank you if you made it to this far! I have no big conclusion nor anything like that for you, this was just a way for me to let out some thoughts, while I also thought that my struggle might be important to someone else to see. Being creative is hard, and sometimes we forget that. Take care! Xoxo

[dreamwreaver]

Hey, I know you’re probably not in the fandom anymore but I really, really need you to know just how amazing you are. Since I got into the beetlejuice fandom recently I came across your works on ao3 and I actually genuinely will never be the same again. Yes, there are others who write beetlebabes, but your works are somehow so unique, the tone and setting of your fanfics is something I fail to find in other fanfics and the way write both Lydia and Beetlejuice seems so human, so vivid, something about it makes it so easy to slip yourselves into either of their shoes, feel whatever they’re feeling, and it’s such an amazing thing you’ve done. You have no idea how many nights I’ve stayed up till 5am squealing at your fanfics because the sexual tension and everything else seemed so tangible, it made me feel so many things I can’t even begin to explain.

I’m the type of fanfic consumer who writes what they can’t find and since I’ve finished just about all your works in Beetlejuice, I’ve tried to write my own fanfics for Beetlejuice but for the first time, for some reason it’s hard to write what I want to while keeping in line with what I think Lydia’s and Beetlejuice’s reactions would be to the situations I put them in, does that make sense? And I go back to your fanfics to try and get an idea of what I want out of my works, and I’m still working on it to this day.

But anyway, I just wanted to gush about how amazing your works have been, and I know you’re probably not into Beetlejuice anymore, but I just want you to know you’ve changed me through your fanfics, it’s become part of my daily routine and I just thought you ought to know how talented you are as a writer. I have never been this invested in anyone’s fanfics before, which is why it’s special to me and why I really wanted to write this to you to thank you. I don’t expect you to write for beetlejuice anymore or anything like that, I just really, really wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I’m into Hazbin Hotel too, if you ever wanna talk about other things. Once again, I love you, and thank you for writing so many works in Beetlejuice to keep me going. You have no idea how much it means to me. If you ever need me or wanna keep in touch, reply to this, I’ll be following your posts <3

Oh man, where do I begin to respond to this? I'm gonna be honest Nonny, I was fighting back tears and had a huge grin while reading this. And this is also why it's been sitting in my inbox. I wanted to give this ask the care and consideration you obviously gave me while writing this. I suppose the most simple thing to say is; thank you.

Thank you for your kind words and thank you for loving my work. It's always a pleasure to know something I wrote even as recently as a month ago has made an impact on someone, let alone something written years ago. As far as Beetlejuice goes; I'm not as active in terms of content creation but it's not as though I've left the fandom entirely. I occasionally check the tags here on tumblr but most of the people making content I get excited about I tend to chat with on other platforms like discord. There's quite a few active Beetlejuice servers on there, it's just a matter of finding the right fit for you.

I do love Hazbin Hotel, but I'm not as vocal in the fandom because the chalastor antis have been especially virulent as of late and I learned my lesson about burn out from Beetlejuice. Baiting and hating on them does nothing, so I tend to gripe about the more stupid ones and then I laugh and move on. To be quite honest I haven't been writing much because I moved and my setup isn't put back together yet. I try but unfortunately it is frowned upon to write fanfic at work lol.

Feel free to follow my posts, it's usually just me reblogging funny nonsense or cool art. I have a list a problematic ships a mile wide so hang on, you might find something else you're into haha.

[xswitchboardx]

I’m still digesting this, and this might not make any sense as I reckon with a lot of different ideas.

To start I love a little pessimism, it’s my fave. I’m an emo at heart. :3 There’s pleasure in looking at the world through such a dark and jaded perspective. Because there’s a lot of sickness and violence in the world - so it can feel very affirming (and kinda relaxing?) despite the obvious shortcomings of a totally pessimistic view. But damn I love it.

Generally, philosophy and academia feels more like art to me than facts. As I understand it, Afropessimism is this representation/framework of antiblackness as an all consuming and insurmountable presence/force - created from the minds of Black Americans who experience antiblackness in every corner of their fucking lives. Hilderson (i forgot if this is his name but mr. pessimist) uses accounts from his personal life to explain and define afropessimism. This article describes his book as a psychodrama, and who doesn’t love drama. Pain and misery everywhere. He states that the dehumanization of Black people is actually integral, essential to the existence of the world (western world? America?). Which, historically and materially, is true. Being American, I am constantly aware that the disproportionate wealth and power that resides in this country and the “Western world” is a direct result of hundreds of years of work of enslaved Black Africans and their descendants. But to him it goes further, further beyond material reality. The world would simply not it exist if anti-blackness did not exist. And there is no world without antiblack racism.

He also says some crazy shit that I immediately clocked - like the assertion that a Palestinian person (after an interaction with his Palestinian friend, in which the friend regurgitated some antiblack sentiment) has more in common with an Israeli than with a Black person, on account of their shared antiblackness as part of the “status quo”. That’s frankly untrue for quite a large number of reasons, and also very troubling.

To me, this depicts Blackness (however tf we’re defining that, anyways) as something pure. The most oppressed of all.

I do believe Antiblackness is pervasive, a sickness that plagues this whole fucking planet, to be honest. Certainly in this country. To have grown up in America is to have grown up with internalized antiblackness. With all of that said - particularly as someone who came up in the early 2000s - to have grown up in America for me was also to be indoctrinated into anti-Arab sentiment and Islamophobia. So what now?

This is getting a little unorganized now, but there’s something else that speaks to me about Afropessimism. (Getting into the idea again that this “academic framework or whatever” is more emotional and personal than it is historical or materially accurate), There is a resentment there.

Now, as a Black American person, there is some shit that has always been repeated by my family, friends, and other ppl in my (albeit small) community. And that is, “They would never let Black people do that shit”. Translation, “They would - without any hesitation or regret - beat, harass, shoot, kill, or arrest a Black person for doing the exact same thing a White or nonblack person is doing”. This would be in response to some nonblack people getting up to some fuckshit. More extreme examples include the January 6th thing, or anytime White people show off their guns and #2ndAmendmentPride, or anytime someone nonblack disrespects or confronts a cop. I mean the specifics don’t matter, Black people experience violence at an increased rate for whatever reason.

I mean shit, Black people have been historically and systemically denied the right to do basic shit - like simply occupying space - without the threat of police or white supremacist violence (and when I say violence I mean both bodily violence, but also the violence of being denied access to something. Or being denied peace.)

And, on my personal level, it does feel (to me) that antiblackness has this way of sneaking in and feeling like it is inescapable, even among circles of people who claim to be antiracists. And when it is tied to dehumanization, it feels like everything stops there. But I haven’t investigated this line of thought thoroughly enough to come to any conclusions, to be honest. This is mostly personal for me, and in relation to the other marginalized identities I occupy (queer, female). More anecdotal than anything.

Now, this article here ^^ also did some shit that really blew my mind. It drew connections between Afropessimism and Zionism.

Relating the ideology of Zionism and Afropessimism as one of “pure, inescapable and all consuming oppression”. One that cannot be solved, that lives permanently in the hearts of every human. What kind of action does that ideology lead to? To believe yourself as The Ultimate Victim in all of history and time. To the end of the universe. At best this is sketchy as hell, at worst, it can lead to a self-feeding cycle that perpetuates the same violence over and over and over in the same of “security or preservation”. (This is a side note for another post- but it’s interesting to think about how this idea plays out on an individual scale and in relationships too!)

(I also want to note here that Hilderson is importantly, a middle class man who works at a prestigious American university.)

In my heart (and not my mind), do I believe a Black Nationalist nation would ever be backed by the US Military and receive the kind of funding and support Israel receives? Hell fucking no! But then again, I just learned about the history of Liberia. And how US-backed Black American and West Indian settlers more or less colonized the indigenous African population.

Obviously the history here is complex, definitely above my head. And I understand this author is drawing a connection between these two settler states, not insinuating they are exactly the same. But interesting as fuck!!!

Anyways, solidarity is the key. Thinking about power and oppression in relation to class, material reality, privilege and proximity to a ruling class is essential. This wasn’t a totally new idea for me, but being able to let go of deep emotional resentment for long enough to really open myself up can be hard sometimes. Anyways, a lot to think about.

[whosmaggy]

consumption is an art!

sure spending time, hours, days, blue moons, to make media (oft referred to as "art") is hard. but there is something more difficult, more taxing, that is glossed over. consuming that work. maybe it doesnt take as long, partially because i watch everything in x2 speed (x3 where applicable), but it has also taken forever to build up algorithms, limestone slab by limestone slab, to get the beautiful (artistic) gallery of content i consume. was it susan wojcickis and marks code? no! it was my commitment to the craft. the craft being figuring out how to destroy the pleasure sensors in your brain the fastest. anyways here are some of my favourite pieces of content because more than consuming it, i love archiving:

this is one of my favourite videos and its from one of my favourite channels. the animation work, narration, concise detail, and the simple enjoyment of watching it put it in my top 3 of this year.

i try not to consume true crime, desensitization and all that (dont let the first 2 videos here fool you). however this is well written, produced, and sources are provided. its also not made to trivialize. i think about ada and matthew everytime i see a firetruck.

on a much lighter note (but not really because scammers are very evil) this video make me laugh out loud! i used to love scammer videos, this one is great!

i have always found "body language experts" slimy creeps that want to profit off of talking out of their asses about whatever glorified gossip topics they cover. kind of like the daily mail. this video has great research and funny as well. (amber heard i will always hate what they did to you).

I HATE JOE. is it self indulgent to watch this and then spend 30 minutes going through the comments to feel vindicated knowing other people also hate him? yes. the video is good tho!

I LOVE THIS VIDEO! something about it will appeal to everyone. pretty much everything about it appeals to me. the first time i watch it was long before i even started playing roblox.

must include this because i am a tumblr fanatic. love all of her videos tho! this one is nice and sweet (couldve been short n' sweet if sabrina had been consulted).

and to prove that i can read: Salt Houses by Hala Alyan! very well written. i havent finished it yet, but shes a talented storyteller, and i hope she knows she captured the generations in Palestine in a way so beautiful, they can never be taken away.

survivalist stuff is my cup of (mint) tea. this video is in algonquin provincial park, and i am nothing if not patriotic (ummm), which makes it perfect. #ontario or wtv.

media consumption can kill the mind. i have tired to only consume things i know have had effort and care put into them. i (clearly) have no moral superiority (i can often be found on reels, its a sickness) when it comes to being off that damn phone, but using media to learn and grow, and also support people that arent puppeteered/sponsored by large companies has become important to me. im aware that time is money in a metaphorical way, but you also turn your time into real AMERICAN (usa, usa, usa) money by viewing this and that. i prefer that money goes to people that care for their craft and arent outwardly (i have no clue what these people do when they arent making stuff) shitty.

its late. Good night!

love,

Maggy 🦷

[christinaklassenjpt3391]

4/15 Blog

I enjoyed watching the film “Sweet Bean” by Naomi Kawase and was glad we watched it since it’s been on my movie list for some time. Although some people might find it cheesy and predictable, I think its themes are still very relevant and the film has a touching message. In the midst of our busy lives, it's easy to overlook the beauty found in everyday moments. “Sweet Bean” captures the essence of these small joys, creating a touching story that explores human connection, redemption, and the power of acceptance. The film revolves around three main characters: Sentaro, a reserved dorayaki shop owner; Tokue, an elderly woman with a mysterious past and a special recipe for red bean paste; and Wakana, a troubled schoolgirl searching for meaning in her life. Through their interactions, Kawase paints a picture of human relationships that transcends cultural boundaries, resonating with all viewers. I thought a really sweet part of the film was the depiction of the art of dorayaki making. As Sentaro reluctantly hires Tokue to help in the shop, their shared passion for perfecting the delicate balance of sweet bean paste and pancakes becomes a metaphor for the complexities of human connection. Through the process of making dorayaki, the characters find solace, healing, and ultimately, redemption. While the movie displays lighthearted themes, it also delves into deeper themes of prejudice and stigma surrounding disabilities. Tokue carries the weight of Hansen's disease, also known as Leprosy, which is a condition that has isolated her from society. Throughout the film, Tokue's portrayal sheds light on the harsh realities faced by individuals afflicted with Hansen's disease in Japan, where deep-rooted stigma and discrimination persist despite medical advancements. Yet, despite facing discrimination, Tokue shows a quiet strength that challenges the audience to confront their own biases. As the bond between Sentaro and Tokue grows, "Sweet Bean" becomes a meditation on the passage of time and the importance of cherishing every moment. Tokue's wisdom and optimism inspire Sentaro to embrace life's imperfections and find beauty in unexpected places. It's this journey of self-discovery that forms the emotional core of the film, leaving a lasting impact on viewers. In a world often consumed by materialism, "Sweet Bean" serves as a gentle reminder to slow down and appreciate the simple pleasures in life. Through its heartfelt storytelling, the film invites viewers to savor each moment and find joy in the connections we share with others. This message means a lot to me because sometimes I feel like I’m rushing through life and not taking the time to enjoy the little things or make time for hobbies. This film makes you think about how you approach life and encourages the audience to slow down and enjoy the time and connections we have.

[yessadirichards]

Catering to the food movie, 'The Taste of Things' serves up a mouthwatering feast

NEW YORK

Think of food and movies and your mind could quickly whip up a five-course meal. Maybe a few hard-boiled eggs, to start, from “Cool Hand Luke.” A side order of toast from “Five Easy Pieces,” followed by the soup from “Ratatouille.” A main course of octopus from “Oldboy.” And let’s wash all that down with a $5 shake from “Pulp Fiction.”

Since before Charlie Chaplin made bread rolls dance in “The Gold Rush,” cinema and cuisine have been as intertwined as the spaghetti of “The Lady and the Tramp.” But a real food movie — one that doesn’t just stop for noodles (“In the Mood for Love”) or take a trip to Katz’s (“When Harry Met Sally…”) — is a rarer delicacy.

Those movies that fully invest themselves in the making and consuming food are more all-your-eyes-can-eat buffets. Films like “Tampopo,” that wildly erotic ode to ramen; “Babette’s Feast,” with its sumptuous banquet; and “Eat Drink Man Woman,” Ang Lee’s nourishing family meal.

It’s a rich and savory tradition that gets a delicious new serving in Trần Anh Hùng’s “The Taste of Things.” If ever a film was a feast, it’s Hùng’s. The movie, starring Juliette Binoche and Benoît Magimel, opens with a glorious 40-minute scene set in a late 19th century French country kitchen where a meal is being prepared.

Butter is sizzling. Loins of veal are roasting. Fresh crayfish are peeled. A fish is gutted. Soup bubbles. Few words are said but the kitchen hums. Utensils clank. Merengue burns. Steam rises.

There’s no music but it’s a symphony. Eugénie (Binoche), the right-hand woman of top chef Dodin Bouffant (Magimel), works with quiet, assured mastery. It’s as riveting as any action-movie set piece.

“I told my crew: This is my car-chase scene,” says Hùng.

Hùng, the 61-year-old French-Vietnamese filmmaker, traces his love of cinema to his father, who would come home in South Vietnam with detailed descriptions of movies he had seen at the cinema, riveting Hùng. But his mother’s kitchen, he says, “gave me my first feeling of beauty.”

“The Taste of Things,” which opens in select theaters Friday, isn’t just about cooking. Like most movies about food, its appreciation of cuisine has as much to do with love and art as recipes and ingredients. Loosely inspired by Marcel Rouff’s classic 1924 novel “The Passionate Epicure,” “The Taste of Things" unfolds as a later-in-life love story, one with added poignance since Binoche and Magimel were, themselves, a couple 20 years earlier.

To Hùng, who recently spoke by phone during a trip to Vietnam (he lives in Paris), his mouthwatering opening scene, in all its sensory pleasures, is a paean to cinema.

“In musicals, it’s about harmony and the expression of love and pleasure,” says Hùng. “All of this was inside of me and I wanted to express it in this first scene in the kitchen where people move a lot. The level of gesture is enormous. How they move combined with complex camera movement, that came from musicals for me.”

France selected “The Taste of Things” as the country’s Oscar submission over the much-celebrated “Anatomy of a Fall." At last year’s Cannes Film Festival, it won best director for Hùng.

Hùng’s 1993 Oscar-nominated breakthrough “The Scent of Green Papaya” was likewise lush in atmosphere and sensuality. But while he admires some of the classic food movies — “Eat Drink Man Woman” especially — he doesn’t often feel they express what he wanted to accomplish with “The Taste of Things.”

“Today, I think films are really poor in cinema. Most of the time, it’s a theme of an important topic of the world today and then wrapped in very poor cinema. It looks like an illustration of a story,” he says. “To me, there is nothing to eat in that. I don’t feel full when I watch that type of film. There are too many like this. You can win the Palme d’Or with a very poor quality of cinema in the movie.”

Many reviews of “The Taste of Things” have come with a warning: Do not see this film on an empty stomach. But Hùng supplies no such caution.

“No, I think it’s interesting to be hungry, and waiting for the next meal,” he says, chuckling. “I never get panicked when I get hungry. I like to listen to it and wait so that what I have later is more delicious.”

Foodie photographs of a perfect plate have long been popular fodder for Instagram — the kind of gastronomy lampooned in the 2022 haute cuisine satire “The Menu.” But “The Taste of Things” is earthy and grubby. The food — none of which was artificially enhanced to look better — was all real. Famed French chef Pierre Gagnaire designed the dishes that were cooked on location by Michel Nave. For the film’s final meal, in which a triumphant pot-au-feu is prepared, some 90 pounds of meat were used.

Suffice to say, the cast and crew of “The Taste of Things” ate well.

“Everything we did was real,” says Hùng. "So at the end of the day, we had to eat everything. No waste at all.”

[saumyakhera]

Sip, Savor, Repeat: The Art of Coffee Pods & Tea Pods

In a world that is moving at a constant pace, the demand for convenience has led to new technologies that cater to our hectic lifestyles. Amid these advancements, coffee and tea pods have made a name for themselves, providing a fast and effective way to enjoy a cup of your favorite beverage. The art of making tea and coffee pods goes beyond just convenience. It combines sustainability, technology, and the pleasure of sipping your favorite drinks.

The Rise of Pods

The emergence of coffee pods can be traced to the early 2000s when companies such as Keurig and Nespresso introduced single-serve machines for coffee that used pre-packaged pods. The pods contained precisely measured amounts of ground coffee sealed to ensure freshness. The ease and speed of making just one cup of coffee at the click of a button transformed how people drank their daily dose of caffeine.

The tea pods were a practical substitute for traditional tea bags. The demand for pods quickly increased as they appealed to those seeking a fast and clean way to drink afternoon tea without compromising the taste.

Technology and Innovation

The beauty of tea and coffee pods is in their drinks and the technological advancements that made it possible. The pods are designed to ensure the proper quantity of tea or coffee is contained in every pod. Their compatibility with specific machines is another level of technological sophistication, allowing customers to have a consistent cup each time.

The machines have changed through the years, adding sophisticated features like adjustable settings for brewing and temperature control. Even intelligent functions allow customers to manage their coffee or tea preparation using smartphone apps. The combination of beverage technology and technology enhances the pod experience.

Sustainability in a Pod

As the demand for tea and coffee pods increased, so did concerns about the impact on the environment. The fact that they are used for only one purpose in the traditional pods caused a stir, which prompted companies to consider alternative and more sustainable options. Nowadays, many businesses are making biodegradable and compostable coffee and tea pods, which address the environmental issues associated with their predecessors.

In addition, some manufacturers promote recycling through recycling programs or create pods that can be removed to make it easier to separate materials. The art of drinking the pleasure of tea and coffee has been merged with a sense of the environment, which allows consumers to enjoy their favorite beverages without guilt.

The Pleasure of Variety

One of the main features of the fine art of making coffee and tea capsules is the vast range of flavors they provide. The market is overflowing with numerous flavors and blends that cater to various preferences and tastes. Coffee lovers can choose from multiple choices, from solid and intense dark roasts to more delicate and subtle lighter roasts. Tea drinkers can also enjoy numerous tastes, ranging from classic dark tes to exotic blends of herbs.

This selection caters to different preferences and allows for experimentation and exploration. The ease of trying new flavors without the need to buy an entire bag of tea or coffee adds an exciting element to the experience of a pod, creating a sense that is both enjoyable and exploratory.

In this fast-paced, ever-changing world, the art of the tea pod and coffee beans is more than just a practical method of brewing drinks. It represents the harmonious blend of technology, sustainability, and the pleasure of sipping and enjoying your favorite beverages. While innovation continues to propel the development of brewing using pods, one thing remains the same: the simple pleasure of taking time to savor, sip, and repeat.